Amazon RDS vs PlanetScale comparison

Amazon Web Services (AWS) and PlanetScale are both solutions in the Relational Databases Tools category. Additionally, 98% of Amazon Web Services (AWS) users are willing to recommend the solution, compared to 100% of PlanetScale users who would recommend it.

Amazon RDS

Read 58 Amazon RDS reviews

98% willing to recommend

PlanetScale

Read 6 PlanetScale reviews

312 Views
312 Comparison Views

100% willing to recommend

Amazon RDS

PlanetScale

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Executive Summary

We performed a comparison between Amazon RDS and PlanetScale based on real PeerSpot user reviews.

Find out what your peers are saying about Microsoft, Oracle, SAP and others in Relational Databases Tools.

To learn more, read our detailed Relational Databases Tools Report (Updated: November 2025).

Buyer's Guide

Relational Databases Tools

November 2025

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Helped 879,310 peers since 2012

Review summaries and opinions

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Categories and Ranking

Amazon RDS

Average Rating

8.4

Reviews Sentiment

6.7

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Database as a Service (DBaaS) (1st)

PlanetScale

Average Rating

8.2

Reviews Sentiment

8.3

Number of Reviews

Ranking in other categories

Relational Databases Tools (17th)

Featured Reviews

reviewer2592669

Director Software Engineer at a computer software company with 10,001+ employees

Positive experiences with database services, with minor room for feature enhancements observed

I don't really see any disadvantages of Amazon RDS. With Oracle, I think AWS doesn't provide the RAC stability. If you have Oracle installed in your own data centers, you can set up various clusters and we can set up the RACs, but in Amazon RDS, we cannot have the RAC feature of Oracle. They could add that feature. Amazon RDS has limitations regarding RAC. If we talk about installing Oracle in RDS, we cannot have the RAC, but if you deploy Oracle on GCP, then there is probably the RAC feature available. I observed that around two or three years back, but I'm not sure whether they have added the RAC feature in AWS. Amazon RDS is expensive compared to GCP. GCP also has the same features, and although it is quite extensive and feature-rich, I see Amazon RDS as slightly expensive compared to other clouds.

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Arpita Bahedia

Software Engineer at Bit & Binary

Database management becomes seamless with automatic command execution

One feature I appreciate about PlanetScale is its ability to handle migrations and commands without the need to run them manually in the database. I can enter commands locally, connect with the database, and the changes will automatically be applied to the server, making debugging easier. Additionally, I use PlanetScale with Prisma, and it integrates well for my needs.

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Quotes from Members

We asked business professionals to review the solutions they use. Here are some excerpts of what they said:

Pros

"Amazon RDS provides data encryption using services like KMS, crucial for securing high-sensitive data and meeting compliance requirements such as HIPAA or PCI DSS."

"The product's most valuable features are option groups, S3 integration, automated and scheduled snapshots, and cross-region replication."

"The product is very, very easy to use."

"The most valuable feature of Amazon RDS is its performance."

"It handles large-scale data migrations perfectly. Amazon RDS's performance is quite good. Charges are incurred after you utilize the service"

"The most valuable features of the solution stem from the fact that it requires an easy setup phase, and it is also easy to use while not being too heavy on its users."

"Amazon RDS is very easy to use."

"Amazon RDS handles database backup mechanisms and patch management."

More Amazon RDS pros

"The solution is beginner-friendly. Like any new platform, it can be a bit confusing at first. But after spending about an hour with it, you can get a clear idea of what everything is for. It's not very confusing; I think they've improved it recently."

"The branching feature is also good for developer experience."

"I did not face any downtime when using the product."

"One feature I appreciate about PlanetScale is its ability to handle migrations and commands without the need to run them manually in the database."

"The database is accessible 24/7, ensuring my project runs smoothly without interruptions."

"I like the solution's developer experience. When you deploy changes to the database in the portal, you can use different deployment strategies and see how things work. You can put changes into different branches, like deployment and staging. This is built into the product, allowing you to navigate changes through different branches."

Cons

"The solution could improve the administration tools."

"When you are using it for the first time, it is a little bit hard to configure. The first-time configuration is not very easy. It should be easier to configure. Its installation should also be simpler. Currently, its installation is very complex. With SQL Server, we have access to the SQL Server analysis services and reporting services, but such services are not available with Amazon RDS."

"I would like to see improvements in the tool's automatic restart."

"The Performance Monitor they have is a little clanky, at least in regards to the UI."

"There are some advanced monitoring queries that we cannot execute because Amazon doesn't give admin privileges to the end users."

"In the next release, it would be great to see RDS provide connection pooling out of the box."

"User interface needs improvement for using IPS and CloudWatch to scale and utilize read replicas, enabling performance insights to view query formats where the bottlenecks occur, identifying the fixes, slow queries, and missing indexes, improving the security and monitoring with alerts."

"I feel Amazon RDS should have a lot of functionalities to make monitoring within the database easier."

More Amazon RDS cons

"The main thing I didn't like about PlanetScale was that we couldn't run analytical queries on it."

"I used PlanetScale for hobby projects, so my perspective differs from someone using it commercially. Unfortunately, they've removed the free tier in recent months and pivoted to a business-to-business model. This is sad for hobby developers like me because it's a great product, but I understand they have costs to cover."

"I am not sure, but I think recently, the tool removed the free version."

"We encountered some initial issues during the product deployment, which required me to search for solutions on forums."

"When I tried to integrate the solution with Firebase for authentication, I faced some interruptions. Also, when using it with Next.js and NextAuth.js for Google and social logins, I had some troubles."

Pricing and Cost Advice

"if you don't know how to optimize and use your tool properly, the cost might hurt you."

"We are paying for a service license."

"The cost of using this solution is similar to that of having your own data center."

"The pricing of RDS is a little bit high compared to Microsoft... However, it is a good price compared to other solutions."

"The substantial initial credit and cost-effectiveness make Amazon an attractive option."

"The solution's pricing needs improvement."

"The price of Amazon RDS is reasonable."

"The prices for different regions are different."

More Amazon RDS pricing and cost advice

"Last time, when I wanted to use the tool in a project, I could see it was only paid, so I didn't use the service."

"The solution is expensive for beginners. That's why I wasn't motivated to use it more. But they were already providing many features for free for beginners, which was great."

"I am currently using the product's free version, which has been sufficient for my portfolio project."

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Top Industries

By visitors reading reviews

Computer Software Company

13%

Financial Services Firm

11%

University

Manufacturing Company

No data available

Company Size

By reviewers

Large Enterprise

Midsize Enterprise

Small Business

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	22
Midsize Enterprise	15
Large Enterprise	23

By reviewers
Company Size	Count
Small Business	7
Large Enterprise	2

Questions from the Community

What do you like most about Amazon RDS?

The product's installation phase is easy.

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What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for Amazon RDS?

The pricing for Amazon RDS is reasonable.

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What needs improvement with Amazon RDS?

See all answers

What is your experience regarding pricing and costs for PlanetScale?

I am currently using the product's free version, which has been sufficient for my portfolio project. The paid version ranges from $39 to $1,000, depending on the features and scale required.

See all answers

What needs improvement with PlanetScale?

I would like PlanetScale to have a feature where the database can be accessed in the cloud with a link, allowing for a more user-friendly interface compared to the terminal. This would make it easi...

See all answers

What is your primary use case for PlanetScale?

I have used PlanetScale as it is an advanced version of MySQL. It functions as a platform where MySQL is live, similar to AWS. I use PlanetScale to store data in a live environment where queries ca...

See all answers

Comparisons

MongoDB Atlas vs Amazon RDS

Compared 21% of the time

Google Cloud SQL vs Amazon RDS

Compared 15% of the time

Microsoft Azure SQL Database vs Amazon RDS

Compared 13% of the time

Oracle Database as a Service vs Amazon RDS

Compared 13% of the time

Google Cloud Spanner vs Amazon RDS

Compared 6% of the time

More Amazon RDS Competitors

Amazon Aurora Serverless vs PlanetScale

Compared 82% of the time

Citus Data vs PlanetScale

Compared 18% of the time

More PlanetScale Competitors

Product Reports

Buyer's Guide

Amazon RDS

December 2025

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Buyer's Guide

Relational Databases Tools

November 2025

Download PlanetScale product report

Also Known As

RDS

No data available

Overview

Amazon Relational Database Service (Amazon RDS) is a web service that makes it easier to set up, operate, and scale a relational database in the cloud. It provides cost-efficient, resizeable capacity for an industry-standard relational database and manages common database administration tasks.

Amazon Web Services (AWS)

PlanetScale offers seamless database management with features tailored for modern development environments, enabling enhanced project operations through efficient integration and ease of use.

PlanetScale is designed to support modern developer workflows through features like automated connection pooling and constant availability, making it ideal for serverless applications. Its integration with tools like GitHub and Prisma enhances the developer experience, allowing fast setup and effortless database interactions. However, users note challenges with analytical queries due to row-based billing and the absence of foreign key constraints. Integration with platforms such as Firebase and Next.js presents additional hurdles. Recent changes, such as the removal of the free tier, have impacted adoption by hobby developers, highlighting a need for more accessible pricing plans.

What are the most important features of PlanetScale?

Automated Connection Pooling: Optimizes database connections for serverless environments.
Constant Availability: Ensures uninterrupted operations and workflow efficiency.
Developer-Friendly: Integrates seamlessly with GitHub and Prisma for enhanced project management.
Quick Setup: Simplifies setup processes in corporate environments, allowing immediate use.

What benefits should users consider when evaluating PlanetScale?

Uninterrupted Project Operations: Facilitates constant availability for high-performance applications.
Enhanced Developer Experience: Offers intuitive integrations and project management capabilities.
Ease of Integration: Works well with popular tools like Prisma and MySQL for efficient workflows.

PlanetScale finds significant use in hosting databases for portfolios, company websites, and academic projects. Its compatibility with Prisma facilitates seamless MySQL database management online. Users leverage its capabilities for analytical queries and manage data environments effectively. Teams value the platform for specialized tasks such as URL shortening and social media automation, which are crucial in rapidly evolving digital industries.

PlanetScale

Sample Customers

Edmodo

Information Not Available

Buyer's Guide

Relational Databases Tools

November 2025

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